Improvement in ditching-plows



E. S. BARTLETT.

Ditching-Plow.

No. 25,377. Patented Sept. 15, 1859.

N.FETER& PNOTO-LITHOGRAPHER, WASHINGTON o C.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

E. S. BARTLETT, OF ROM'ULUS, NEW YORK.

IMPROVEMENT IN DlTCH|NG-PLOWS..

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 25,377, dated September 13, 1859.

To all whom it may concern:

Beit known thatI, E. S. BARTLETT, of Romulus, in the county of Seneca and State of New York, have invented a new and Improved Machine for Ditching Land; and I do hereby declare that the following is a fnlland exact description thereof, reference being bad to the accompanying drawings, making partof this specification- Figure 1 being a side elevation of the machine; Fig. 2, a plan of the bottom thereof; Fig. 3, a rear elevation; Figs. 4, 5, and 6, views of a portion detached, showing different relative positions of the parts obtained by adjustments.

Like lettersdesignate corresponding parts in all the figures.

I employ a single strong beam, A, to which all the other parts are attached or united. It is provided with suitable handles, B B,forguiding, in the manner of a plow, said handles being pivoted at their front ends to the beam, while the stretcherbar 0, which connects them, extends through a slot, 0, in a supportingstandard, C. By means of a set of holes, q q, Fig. 3, in this standard, transverse to the slot a, and ofabolt,p,which also passes through the stretcher-bar 0, the handles are adjusted to any desired height to suit the dilferent depths at which the machine runs in the process of forming the ditches. The clevis It is also adjustable, as shown in Fig. 1, by means of the bolt k and hole t, to accommodate the draft to the different depths. By increasing the length of the clcvis, also the depth to which the machine may be allowed to run may be increased.

The depth to which the shares may be allowed to run ateach furrow-cut is adj ustcd by means of a small roller, Gr, pivoted at the connecting-joint of the hinged supports a n and sliding supports m m, the latter being held in place at any height by tightenersff, which are made fast by nuts and screws g g, substantially as represented in Figs. 1 and 2.

The principal features of my invention consist in the peculiar mode of securingthe shares firmly and strongly beneath the beam A, and of adjusting them so as to cutditchesof different widths.

Into the lower side of the beam A, I firmly frame short arms D D D, of rectangular form, so as to project downward and a little forward, substantially as shown in Fig. 1. To these strong arms the shares E E E are attached and in order to further increase their strength and firmness, I first secure a strongiron brace, H, to the front arm and to the beam A, the forward end being attached to the beam by the bolt 1*, or otherwise, and the rear end passing back through said front arm, and held by a nut screwing upon it, behind the same, as represented. Then I run bolts d cl through the arms, one through the two forward arms and one through the two rear arms, as shown. These bolts also pass through wooden blocks F F, which just fit between the arms D D D, as represented. Having been passed through the arms and blocks, the bolts are then secured by nuts and screws. Thus the brace H and rods d (l firmly hold the arms D D D against all backward force or strain, while the blocks F F, together with the said brace H, keep the said arms firm against any forward strain, so that they are thus held very strongly and securely in every way in which they are liable to force or violence by means very simple,light, and cheap.

To the front arm, D, the central opening share, E, is secured by a nut and staple, c, and a projection, s, on its upper end, entering a notch'or hole in the brace, all substantially as shown. This share, being central, requires no ad j ust menteither way; but the two side shares, which are attached to the two rear arms, D D, require lateral adjustment, in order to out the ditch of any required width. To accomplish this in a simple way, and at the same time keep them strongly and firmly secured to the arms, I arrange them in the following manner: These shares are secured to the arms D D by means of bolts 1) b, passing through their shanks and through said arms, and held by nuts, as represented. Between these shanks and arms I place packing-blocks Z I, of any convenient thickness-say an inch or two each. Each share is provided with a convenient number of them, and the bolts 1) b are made of sufficient length to receive as many as required at once. These packing-blocks being of uniform thickness and fitting upon the plane surfaces of the arms D D wheu theyaud the arms and the shares are united by bolts 1) b and drawn closely together by nuts and screws, the whole is as firm as if the arm and blocks were one piece of wood. Figs. 4, 5, and 6 exhibit the mode in which the packing-blocks are applied to adjust the shares outward orinward, as desired. Fig. 4 shows two of the blocks placed between the arm D and share E, thus moving said share a space equal to the thickness of both blocks farther from the center of the machine, and the opposite share being at the same time moved as much outward, the width of the ditch is thereby increased to an extent equal to the thickness of four of the blocks. Fig. 5 represents one of the blocks carried over to the other side of the arm D, thus diminishing the width of the ditch twice the thickness of a block, while the samelength of the bolt b is required as before. Fig. 6 represents both blocks moved to the other side of the arm D, thus leaving no blocks between the share and arm, and consequently again diminishing the width of the ditch as much as the thickness of two blocks, and requiring no change in the length of the bolt 1). Thus by using desired number of blocks the width of the ditch may be varied to any extent required. a

The shares E E E have blades e c e, inclined somewhat, as shown, so that they not only cleave the earth from the bed, but lift it considerably therefrom, thus rendering it easy to be removed. The shares are arranged one behind the other, so that there is never any liability of stones, clods, or other obstructions lodging between them to clog the machine.

What 1 claim as myinvention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The combination of the arms D D D, brace H, rods '61 d, and blocks F F, substantially as and for the purpose herein set forth.

2. The mode of attaching and adjusting the shares E E E by means of the packing-blocks l l l, in combination with the bolts 1) b and grins D D, substantially in the manner speci- In witness that the above is a true specification of my improved ditching-machine I hereunto set my hand this 19th day of March, 1859.

E. S. BARTLETT.

Witnesses:

J. S. BROWN, R. F. OSGOOD. 

